Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

It's funny that there are now two films where the big bad's endgame is to essentially start the next ice age. I'm sure it's just a coincidence that Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire both hit upon the same idea. But that's where any similarities end.

So, where am I going with this?

This time, Kong explores Hollow Earth for any other big apes like him, while Godzilla roams normal Earth fighting other Titans. Meanwhile, Monarch scientist Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) tries to connect with her adopted daughter, Jia (Kaylee Hottle), the last surviving human from Skull Island. Jia senses something a great disturbance in the Force (so to speak) coming from Hollow Earth. Godzilla senses it too, which is why he gets up looking for power. Kong gets back to normal Earth when he gets a toothache. After that, Jia, Ilene, Titan veterinarian Trapper (Dan Stevens) and podcaster Bernie (Brian Tyree Henry), follow Kong back to Hollow Earth.

Meanwhile, Kong finally finds a whole tribe of other big apes. These apes are ruled by the evil Skar King, an old enemy of Godzilla who is looking for a way to get back to normal Earth. Kong can't defeat him and his ice-powered attack Titan, Shimo, alone, which is why he needs Godzilla. They're not exactly friends, but Jia might be able to help after she reconnects with survivors of her tribe, the Iwi. They have a prophesy that she'll reawaken the one force that can get the Kings of the Monsters together. That force is Mothra.

Everyone got that?

Director Adam Wingard and his co-writers get to the main event slowly but surely. It didn't take long before Godzilla and Kong met last time, but here, they don't meet until the third act. In the meantime, we go back and forth between Kong and the humans, with Godzilla showing up every so often. We empathize with Kong when his tooth breaks and are moved when he bonds with a young ape named Suko. Granted, their relationship doesn't start out smoothly, since Suko and some of his tribe ambush Kong. It's still awesome and funny to see Kong assert himself in the ape tribe. The Skar King needs little effort to convey how evil he is to the audience. Godzilla spends much of the film pretty grumpy, while Shimo is quite sympathetic. Their final takedown of Skar King makes the long buildup worth it.

In the human plotline, Ilene tries to help Jia adjust to modern civilization. When they encounter the Iwi, Ilene prepares for the possibility that Jia will go back to them. Their relationship is a great anchor for the monster madness, and their resolution is quite moving. Trapper, meanwhile, is a welcome addition for his bravado and his looking out for the big guy. Anyone intrigued by how giant monster dentistry works will get a cool demonstration. Bernie is amusing, while Mikael (Alex Ferns) the Red Shirt is really the only other human character of note.

The visual effects are quite nifty. The monsters are quite emotive, which is useful considering that they alone take up much of the screentime. Godzilla's upgraded magenta glow is neat, while Kong's metal gauntlet for the final battle (long story) is even neater. Mothra's new design is her best rendition since her look in King of the Monsters. The opening panoramic view of Hollow Earth is stunning, but the later battle between Godzilla and the Titan Scylla in Rome is impeded by the opening credits. The music by Tom Holkenborg and Antonio Di Iorio is fine, though not as memorable as the monsters' past films. The sound designs for the monsters, however, is quite impressive.

"Welcome to my World," as the Jim Reeves song, and by extension, this movie, beckons. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is sure to satisfy anyone and everyone who just wants to see monsters fighting. Its human story has some nice touches, but its monster story is just as riveting. I got to hand it to them how extensively it sells the monsters on nonverbal communication alone. It's not as deep as the now Oscar-winning Godzilla: Minus One, but it's still effective. See it however you can wherever you can. That's it for this month.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

 I saw Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire on Tuesday, and it took me until now to commit my thoughts to writing. A major factor is that there's a lot going on in this sequel, in which Afterlife's director Jason Reitman cedes the director's chair to his co-writer, Gil Kenan. Ultimately, it's fine, but less could have been more, and less could have been better explained more.

What do I mean?

Callie Spengler (Carrie Coon), her beau Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd), and her kids Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) and Trevor (Finn Wolfhard), are now New York's latest team of Ghostbusters. One particularly destructive bust gets them sent to the mayor - none other than the first film's Walter Peck (William Atherton) - who is looking for any excuse to bust the team. Phoebe gets benched from the team soon after, and later meets a teen ghost named Melody (Emily Alyn Lind).

An aimless dude named Nadeem (Kumail Nanjiani) sells original buster Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) a metal orb that once belonged to his grandmother. This orb, as later revealed, houses the demon god Garraka (Ian Whyte), who's out to freeze the world solid. His influence is so powerful that other ghosts are scared silent. Meanwhile, the Ghostbusters' overflowing containment unit is about to burst, and Garraka wants its inmates for his cause.

There's quite a bit of subplots. Phoebe spends more time with Melody and covertly busts ghosts with her former classmate, Podcast (Logan Kim). Trevor discovers Slimer in the attic and tries to bust him. Gary tries to fit in with the Spenglers. Lucky Domingo (Celeste O'Connor) is now an intern for OG buster Winston Zeddemore's (Ernie Hudson) Paranormal Research Center. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) helps Nadeem discover his destiny as a firebender (long story). That sounds like a lot, but they need a lot of help to thaw out the demonic God once he shows up.

That's a lot of subplots for a 115-minute movie. A few other new characters, Dr. Hubert Wartzki (Patton Oswalt) and Dr. Lars Pinfield (James Acaster), are lost in the shuffle. Wartzki exposits on Garraka's mythology in his only scene, and while a fun presence, his role could have easily been given to someone else for streamlining purposes. Pinfield, Winston's lead researcher, barely has much to do in the film. As for the old characters, Trevor's only bits are him trying to get Slimer and permission to drive Ecto-1. Phoebe's tense relationship with her mother and "step-teacher" could have used an extra scene to help it resolve in the third act. Lucky and Peter are just there.

The containment unit breaking down has a bit of odd logic. The film mentions that the unit storing forty-years of busted ghosts is causing it to burst. It mentions that Peck inadvertently released the ghosts when he had the unit shut off in the first film. But did the Ghostbusters recapture them by the time they were sued to bankruptcy before Ghostbusters II? The film never explains that. Speaking of Peck, his first scene seems amiable when he, despite ordering Phoebe being benched, suggests another way to contribute. But all doubts dissipate when he later relishes the Ghostbusters' latest misadventure as his aforementioned excuse. It's quite amusing when the Ghostbusters show him up at the end.

What actually worked about the plot? Melody is quite pitiable given the circumstances of her death, and not even her being revealed to be Garraka's mole is enough to destroy that pity. She and Phoebe's friendship is quite compelling, and their final scene together is moving. Phoebe herself is also compelling as she tries to work around her being benched. It pays off when she uses her gadgeteering to strengthen her proton pack to spectacular levels. Nadeem maybe comical, but his hero's journey is surprisingly effective. The original Ghostbusters get a moment to shine when they team-up to reseal Garraka. The writing maybe imperfect, but you do feel the combined team's comradery, which is amplified once the title song finally kicks in.

I have mixed feelings about Garraka. His unsettling design is spectacular, but he only finally manifests at the tail end of the film. So much for the promise of the premise the title suggests. Then again, Gozer only shows up late in the first film and Afterlife, but her presence is felt beforehand with her minions. Garraka freezes a roomful of guys in the prologue, and his orb manifests his psychic rage whenever someone messes with it. There's some great visual effects and sound design at work here. He proves himself a formidable foe capable of overpowering the Ghostbusters' conventional equipment. Maybe another watch can solidify my opinion of him.

What else worked? The opening chase with the ghostly Sewer Dragon is a great way to kick off the film. The film's other standout sequences are a return trip to the New York Public Library, where Ray is reunited with John Rothman's administrator Roger Delacorte and the Ghostly Librarian, and the final battle with Garraka. Melody's ghostly effects and those for the mini-pufts are impressive (the minis almost look like real marshmallow!). Dario Marianelli does a good job mixing Elmer Bernstein's themes with a new score. I can go on, but I've said a lot.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire should make for a good matinee, particularly with Easter right around the corner. It may take a while to discern the plots, but there's quite a bit to like about this installment. I'd like to see more of the Paranormal Research Center if there's a sequel, for instance. Let's also hope there's a better-balanced plot for its cast, next time, no matter how big it is. Nevertheless, this imperfect round of ghostbusting still makes me feel good. It'll do something right if it makes you feel a bit good, too, even for an afternoon. That's it for now.

Orion and the Dark

Netflix now has the streaming rights to Universal's animated films from Dreamworks and Illumination. What I have now is a film Dreamworks produced for Netflix itself. This is Orion and the Dark, based on a picture book by Emma Yarlett, and it is an interesting film, to say the least. Let's see why.

Orion (Jacob Tremblay) is scared of everything. He fears rejection, dogs, bees, the Ocean, falling off skyscrapers, the school bully and even accidentally killing the school bully, among others. But he's scared of the dark most of all. The Dark himself (Paul Walter Hauser) isn't happy with that. So, he decides to assuage Orion's fears with a global tour. 

The Dark and his friends, Sweet Dreams (Angela Bassett), Sleep (Natasia Demetriou), Unexplained Noises (Golda Rosheuvel), Insomnia (Nat Faxon), and Quiet (Aparna Nancherla), show Orion how they bring night to the world. All the while, they have to stay one step ahead of Light (Ike Barinholtz) and his daytime. Everything seems fine until Orion's insensitivity threatens the world itself. I think that's it, but...

All of this is actually told by an adult Orion (Colin Hanks) to his own fearful daughter, Hypatia (Mia Akemi Brown). This sudden metafictional twist is revealed within the first half-hour.  Actually, it's not really surprising, considering that Charlie Kaufman (Adaptation, Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) wrote the script. His story-within-a-story approach is as intricately surreal as those films. Although Orion assures Hypatia his story is real early on, they both make it up as they go along. Hypatia even inserts herself into the story as a Deus Ex-Machina. That, however, isn't as weird as a second Deus Ex-Machina in the final minutes.

Orion is quite likable. Sure, many of his fears are morbidly ludicrous, but him being afraid of rejection is compelling. His first words narrate not just to us, but his crush, Sally (Shino Nakamichi), about his fearful state of mind. He can't even fathom sitting next to her in an upcoming field trip. Dark, his co-protagonist, shares his feelings of social inadequacy. He first complains about Orion's scaredness, but he's still willing to politely assuage his fears. His first plan is to show him a pitifully short film narrated, by of all people, Werner Herzog. It's quite fun to see them bond over the course of the movie. You'll definitely feel it when they fall out near the end, which I can't elaborate on, but there is a flying turtle involved. 

Now for a few others. I liked the other night entities, particularly Sleep and Quiet. Sleep's somnolent weapons are morbidly funny, while Quiet's barely legible voice makes for some impressive sound editing. It helps that they have character designs as appealing as their personalities (practically everyone does, though I wouldn't call the bully Richie's personality appealing). Sweet Dreams's ethereal visage is striking and she makes for a good voice of reason, while Unexplained Noises and Insomnia are both pretty amusing. Dark and Orion falling out in act three is precipitated by them joining Light, though that plot thread (intentionally) goes nowhere. Light is the closest thing the film has to an antagonist, but he still respects Dark as his equal. On the human side, what we see of Sally and Orion's relationship is nice to see.

Who knows if Orion and the Dark will make it onto next year's Oscar ballot? I think it should, considering its cuddly animation and intricate storytelling. Anyone too young to see its screenwriter's usual works will get plenty to think about over its 93 minutes. Anyone who is old enough will somewhat understand its intricacies once they see his name. I don't think either age group will lose any sleep over this film. It's just an appealing, yet weird, film. Press play and you'll see what I mean.

Kung Fu Panda 4

Where was that marathon Oscar reviewing you promised, Jethro?

I had a migraine a while back and with it, some insight. I figured I've seen all of this year's winners (and I was right), so maybe, I could afford to skip some. I think I should spread out next year's Oscar crop over the course of this year. I got to avoid the overload.

Fair enough.

But I think I can say with confidence that Kung Fu Panda 4 won't figure in the Oscar race at all. It's a fine film, but there are plenty of ways it could have been better. 

How so?

This time, Po (Jack Black) is commanded by Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) to retire as the Dragon Warrior and become the valley's new spiritual leader. Po doesn't want to retire, but he agrees to hold auditions for his successor. But, in a stunning upset, he picks himself as successor. Yay?

Po is soon called into action when Tai Lung (Ian McShane), his nemesis from the first movie, seemingly comes back. In actuality, this is The Chameleon (Viola Davis), a mob boss sorceress, from the distant Juniper City. She's looking to bring back Tai Lung for real, along with several other villains, to steal their kung fu skills. Po recruits Zhen the Fox (Awkwafina), whom he caught stealing artifacts earlier, to help him stop her. Nobody in the city recognizes Po, but everyone there recognizes Zhen as a notorious criminal. Po soon thinks Zhen might be the next Dragon Warrior, but this fox has secrets of her own.

You didn't answer my question.

I'm getting there, Vance.

It's got a few good gags. There's an amusing bull-in-the-China shop skit when Po and Zhen get chased by Juniper City guards. Anyone familiar with Avatar: The Last Airbender will get a kick out of a recurring merchant in that scene. Po listening to his inner voices leads to some silly results. Po and Zhen visit her local Den of Thieves, whose denizens (led by Ke Huy Quan's pangolin Han) are weirdly amusing when they "do the right thing for the wrong reasons." Nobody there is weirder than the killer rabbit trio, that's for sure. Po's two dads, Li Shan (Bryan Cranston) and Ping (James Hong), get an amusing subplot as they follow Po and get into slapstick. Their chemistry is surprisingly good.

Po and Zhen make for a pretty good main duo. It's fun to watch them bicker and banter, but you'll especially feel it when they have their third-act fight. To spoil it, Zhen's betrayed Po to The Chameleon and feels bad about it, so she tries to stop Po from fighting The Chameleon. Zhen's sincerity is sold by the great animation and Awkafina's voice work in that scene. There's also great voice work from Black as we feel how angry Po really is. It's no secret that they reconcile, but it's nice when they do. 

What else can I say about the technicals? The fight scenes are good, the production design and cinematography are good, while the Chameleon's shapeshifting abilities are pretty nifty. The final fight gives Po a few inventive workarounds to The Chameleon's indestructible cages. The Chameleon's goons provide our heroes with a few good fights, and us a few good gags. Hans Zimmer, this time collaborating with Steve Mazzaro, gives us another great score. And ...

Jethro!

Which finally leads me to the problems. The first is that Po's mandated retirement seems awfully sudden and unnecessary. Why does he need to retire and take the new job? It could've been understandable if, say, the current leader, whoever that is, isn't long for this world. Second, The Chameleon is underutilized as a villain. She just sticks to Juniper City after impersonating Tai Lung and waits for Po to show up. That's it. Third and worse, the classic villains don't show up for real until halfway through the film. The only other villain besides Tai Lung to talk to Po is a new guy named Scott (Harry Shum, Jr). They and the other villains are just there to be there. These problems help muddle its message that change is a good thing. 

Kung Fu Panda 4 has plenty of the "skadoosh" from its past installments. Unfortunately, its unrefined plot squanders the potential of its inciting incident. It recovers somewhat with Po and Zhen's double-act, which makes me mildly curious for a fifth movie. This should be enough to entertain the kids if Dune: Part Two isn't for them. It's just 94 minutes, so that might be a plus to them. Make sure you get them to see the first movie. It's surprisingly still great after all these years.

Dune: Part Two

Thankfully, Dune: Part One wasn't a case of tempting fate, for we now have the other half of Denis Villeneuve's cinematic adaptation of Frank Herbert's career-defining novel. While I failed to follow through on the plans within plans to watch Part One theatrically, I didn't skip the opportunity for Dune: Part Two. Let's see how it is.

When we last left our hero, Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet), he and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebeca Ferguson) were exiled from their dukedom on the desert planet of Arrakis and had joined the native Fremen population. A few Fremen believe that Paul is their prophesized messiah, the Lisan al Gaib, though his love interest, Chani (Zendaya) is among the several skeptical. Paul, fully aware that his mother's former sect, the Bene Gesserit, invented the prophesy, is further haunted by visions of a galactic holy war should he embrace his messianic role. Jessica, meanwhile, assumes the role of the Fremens' religious leader with a dangerous ritual. Paul and the Fremen launch guerilla attacks on his family's enemies, the Harkonnens, and their spice-mining operations.

The Fremen attacks get Universal Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken) breathing down the neck of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard). The Baron calls for his blood-thirsty nephew, Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler), to take over for his elder brother, Rabban (Dave Bautista), as the boss on Arrakis. This forces Paul and Jessica to travel further south to recruit the more fundamentalist Fremen living there. That would only hasten the holy war that Paul doesn't want, but Fremen leaders like Stilgar (Javier Bardem) do. That's not going to end well in a later instalment.

Villeneuve and cowriter Jon Spaihts once again weave a strong narrative out of half a novel. Paul's reluctance to take on his messianic role is beyond understandable, while Stilgar's devotion to the prophesy is amusing. One scene that says that much may have you thinking of Life of Brian, of all films. It takes quite a bit of effort for Paul and Jessica to persuade the fundamentalist Fremen of him being the messiah. But they accept him with open arms once he proves himself. This and Part One show us the hows and whys of a society ready to follow their messiah even to galactic war. Hope is a dangerous thing, after all. This film proves it.

Chalamet's deconstructed messiah is still compelling here. Paul and Chani have a compelling relationship, one where their devotion is tempered by her skepticism of his messiahness. She's not wrong for her skepticism, as Rev. Mother Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling) makes clear. She still helps him integrate into Fremen culture; it's from her that Paul gets the idea for his tribal name Muad-dib. When he finally, albeit reluctantly, becomes the dark messiah, it's a tragic moment for both of them. I'm even more intrigued to see how Dune Part Three handles their relationship after this film's tweaked ending.

Now for much of the cast. The Baron and Rabban are even viler than they were last time, while Feyd-Rautha's twisted sense of honor makes him a memorable new villain. The Rev. Mother Mohiam's subplot has her desperately try to salvage her sect's collapsing plan to cultivate their preferred messiah. So, her cold treatment of her acolytes, Margot Fenring (Lea Seydoux) and Shaddam's daughter Irulan (Florence Pugh), to secure that plan, is quite unnerving. Shaddam himself is fine, but Mohiam makes a greater impression as a greater scope villain. Josh Brolin is once again great as Paul's mentor, Gurney Halleck. The one-scene wonder has to be Giusi Merli as Jessica's predecessor, Rev. Mother Ramallo.

Villeneuve brings back much of his Oscar-winning (and nominated) crew on his return to Arrakis. The most notable new addition is sound-designer Richard King, whose work gives the Bene Gesserit "Voice" technique a piercing oomph and the monstrous sandworms their thunderous roars. Hans Zimmer's thunderous score is put to good use in an early scene with Paul and Chani. The score overwhelms the dialogue a bit, but it's intentional, as he's clearly distracted by her.

Its visual effects are stunning, but its standouts are when Paul mounts a particularly large sandworm, and when he and the Fremen ride several into the final battle. Cinematographer Greig Fraser's most memorable work is his infrared rendering of daylight on the Harkonnens' home world, Giedi Prime, particularly during Feyd-Rautha's gladiatorial games. Special attention must be given, then, to production designer Patrice Vermitte and costume designer Jaqueline West, for their artistry here. Even the makeup work for Feyd-Rautha is even more disturbing in this literal new light. It's too early to talk Oscars for this film, but hopefully, the Academy will notice later this year.

Dune Part Two is 165 minutes long, which is an astonishing two-hours longer than the corresponding events in David Lynch's 1984 Dune film. The worldbuilding and character development leads to a more thorough ending than even Part One had. As I said, I'm all the more interested to see how they adapt the first sequel novel, Dune Messiah, into Part Three. It would make a satisfying ending to this film series even if there's four other novels (and dozens of spin-offs) left. See it on the largest screen you can find. It's worth the cinematic space journey. That's it for now.